Gretchen Woodruff Bio

Gretchen is a full-service labor and employment attorney, focusing on employment litigation. She represents companies in complex employment-related and business disputes in a variety of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and communications. As a litigator and trial attorney, Gretchen has significant experience litigating collective and class action wage and hour lawsuits under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour laws; disputes involving restrictive covenants or injunctive relief; and single and multi-plaintiff actions under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). A trusted counselor, Gretchen forms strategic partnerships with in-house counsel, human resources professionals, and company executives, and collectively engages in preventative planning to ensure compliance and avoid litigation whenever possible. Gretchen advises on issues associated with wage and hour compliance, recruitment and hiring, performance management, discipline and discharge, leave and accommodation, reductions in force, enforcement of non-compete agreements, and protection of trade secrets. And, given her in-depth knowledge of their business, clients often retain Gretchen to handle internal investigations and to negotiate employment agreements, severance packages, and other employment-related agreements. Gretchen also helps clients to navigate complex crisis management issues, including protecting employees (particularly media talent) from stalking and harassment. Gretchen provides strategic guidance to clients in both civil and criminal proceedings, often collaborating with law enforcement and government agencies to bring perpetrators to justice. Gretchen is known to be a pragmatic problem-solver for her clients. She is adaptable and flexible and easily guides her clients through every stage of litigation. Taking a holistic approach to her litigation and counseling, Gretchen devotes a significant amount of time to understanding her clients’ business needs, culture and objectives, all of which enable her to provide tailored, client-centric solutions.